Britain’s Barmy Army may have left South African cricket fans hot under the collar during the current England-South Africa test series clashes over December and January, but the hospitality industry was left smiling.
Members of the Barmy Army, who follow the English cricket team on its overseas tours, were amongst the record 3.05 million people who flocked to the V&A Waterfront during December to take advantage of the favourable Pound exchange rate.
140 members of the Barmy Army were guests at Sun International’s five-star The Table Bay Hotel where they celebrated their team’s success – particularly in The Union Bar, finishing the entire stock of local SAB brew Castle lager within 20 minutes of arrival.
According to Michael Farr, Group General Manager: Brand and Communications at Sun International, “The most popular beverage for our English visitors was Castle Lager. Overall, our food and beverage sales indicate that December 2015 was one of our best months on record.”
Given the heat wave, complimentary bottles of water were also popular with hotel guests, with residents consuming 12,216 500ml bottles during their stay at the hotel. Breakfasts were also popular, with 89,280 eggs being consumed during the Barmy Army’s stay.
V&A Waterfront spokesperson Carla White said, “We attribute the increased numbers of visitors to the V&A Waterfront to a variety of factors, including external events such as the World Rugby 7s in Cape Town in early December, and then the New Year’s Cricket test which saw a strong contingent of English supporters taking advantage of the strength of their currency. A further effect of our weakened currency is more upcountry visitors not travelling overseas, opting to “staycation”.
The Barmy Army returns to Cape Town in February for the one day international and T20 matches on the 14th and 19th.
Video by Stuart Weir: “Proteas thumped, Rand in free fall and the Barmy Army are so rich it’s unbelievable – when they started singing it was R23 to a £1…by the time they finished it was R24 to a £1.”
